The UFC and Spike TV held open tryouts on April 1, 2010, in Charlotte, North Carolina. The casting call went out for Lightweight and Light Heavyweight fighters. All fighters applying and trying out for the show needed to have at least three professional fights and be at least 21 years of age.[2] Some of the fighters that showed up for the auditions included former TUF contestant Jason Guida and Pride veteran Charles Bennett.[3]
Originally this season was to have lightweights and light heavyweights, but it was confirmed that it will only have Lightweights.
Production began on June 7, 2010 and the season once again features 28 competitors, with the wildcard slot available, which debuted in the eleventh season.[5]
Dana White welcomed 28 fighters to the UFC training facility and announced that like the eleventh season, only 14 would get to go to the TUF house. He also announced the return of the wildcard format.
The 28 fighters then fought to determine who would go to the TUF house. Elimination round matches were for two rounds. If there was a draw after two rounds, a third round would be fought.
Marc Stevens defeated TJ O'Brien by KO (punches) at 0:13 of the first round.
Spencer Paige defeated Steve Magdaleno by unanimous decision (20–18, 20–18, 20–18).
Nam Phan defeated Mike Budnik by TKO (liver strike and punches) in the first round.
Andy Main defeated Jason Brenton by submission (triangle armbar) at 3:33 of the first round.
Jonathan Brookins defeated Ran Weathers by unanimous decision (20–18, 20–18, 20–18).
Cody McKenzie defeated Amir Khillah by technical submission (guillotine choke) at 2:15 of the first round.
Dane Sayers defeated Ariel Sexton by submission (standing rear naked choke) in the second round.
Episode 2: Well Played
The fighters moved into the new house and immediately, Lentz' smoking and drinking came into focus, with some fighters questioning his cardio as a result.
The coin toss (red for GSP, yellow for Koscheck) was won by Josh Koscheck, who chose to pick the first fighter.
Georges St-Pierre hatched a plan to manipulate Koscheck into picking Marc Stevens as the top overall pick, so that his could make Johnson his own first pick. The plan seemingly worked as St-Pierre's wish came to fruition.
Coach
1st Pick
2nd Pick
3rd Pick
4th Pick
5th Pick
6th Pick
7th Pick
Koscheck
Marc Stevens
Sevak Magakian
Sako Chivitchian
Andy Main
Nam Phan
Aaron Wilkinson
Jeff Lentz
GSP
Michael Johnson
Jonathan Brookins
Spencer Paige
Alex Caceres
Kyle Watson
Cody McKenzie
Dane Sayers
Caceres explains how his love of Bruce Lee led to him pursuing a career in martial arts.
St-Pierre picked Caceres to face Lentz, who trained under Kurt Pellegrino.
Alex Caceres defeated Jeff Lentz by submission (triangle choke) at 2:27 of the second round.
Episode 3: Unleash Hell
Alex Caceres celebrated his victory by getting drunk, but his attitude when drunk was mocked.
Olympic silver medalist wrestler Gia Sissaouri trained with the red team.
St-Pierre picked Johnson to face Wilkinson.
Former heavyweight boxing champion Mike Tyson visited The Ultimate Fighter gym, to see Team GSP.
Michael Johnson defeated Aaron Wilkinson by submission (rear naked choke) at 0:37 of the third round.
Tyson later claimed that Johnson's speed won the fight, as Wilkinson was the better boxer. Koscheck also claimed that the fight should not have gone to third round, as he believed that Wilkinson had done enough to win the first two.
Episode 4: Love to Hate
Tyson talked with Team GSP about his attitude toward fighting and how to win.
Sevak Magakian and Alex Caceres got into a heated argument and nearly fought at the fighter house. However, they were separated by their fellow fighters before any punches were thrown.
St-Pierre announced the next fight: Watson against Main
Kyle Watson defeated Andy Main by submission with a rear-naked choke in the second round.
Episode 5: Disrespectful
Jon Fitch arrived at the training center to train with the yellow team.
Jean-Charles Skarbowsky also arrived, intoxicated and following a 14-hour flight from Paris, to train Muay Thai with Team GSP.
Chuck Liddell also arrived and shared some words of wisdom with Team Koscheck
Alex Caceres annoyed teammate Michael Johnson by putting bleach into Nam Phan's fabric conditioner – the very same used by Johnson.
St-Pierre matched Paige against Phan.
Nam Phan defeated Spencer Paige by decision after two rounds.
Paige suffered a broken hand in the fight.
Episode 6: Win or Die
Koscheck annoyed Michael Johnson by calling him out-of-shape and interrupting him during stretches. The yellow team further compounded frustration after celebrating loudly.
McKenzie continued to joke around with Koscheck, which annoyed him.
Koscheck announced the next fight Stevens against McKenzie
Cody McKenzie defeated Marc Stevens by technical submission (guillotine choke) at 0:17 of the first round.
St-Pierre matched Brookins against Magakian
Jonathan Brookins defeated Sevak Magakian via submission (rear naked choke) at 2:04 of the first round.
Episode 7: Second Chance
Koscheck defeated St-Pierre in a baseball home run derby to win the Coaches' Challenge.
Sako Chivitchian defeated Dane Sayers by unanimous decision (20–18, 20–18, 20–18) after two rounds.
The wildcards were announced as Aaron Wilkinson and Marc Stevens.
Episode 8: Kos in a Commotion
Cleopas Ncube is introduced by St-Pierre.
Koscheck got into a physical confrontation with Team GSP paramedic Brad Tate.
Wilkinson received a phone call from his mother, who informed him his grandmother had died.
Aaron Wilkinson defeated Marc Stevens by submission (guillotine choke) at 0:47 of the second round.
White and the coaches called in each fighter to ask which opponent they preferred to face. Every fighter stated their interest in facing Caceres.
The quarterfinal fights were announced:
Jonathan Brookins vs. Sako Chivitchian
Cody McKenzie vs Nam Phan
Kyle Watson vs. Aaron Wilkinson
Michael Johnson vs. Alex Caceres
Episode 9: Personal
Jonathan Brookins defeated Sako Chivitchian by submission (rear naked choke) at 2:05 of the first round.
Nam Phan defeated Cody McKenzie by TKO (punches) at 2:54 of the second round.
After Phan's win, Koscheck stormed the Octagon, screaming and yelling to celebrate the win.
St-Pierre notes that Koscheck is blatantly and obnoxiously celebrating to get under his skin. He admits that Koscheck got under his skin and says it will motivate him that much more in preparing for the coaches' fight.
Episode 10: Spinning Tornado
Kyle Watson defeated Aaron Wilkinson by submission (rear naked choke) at 3:59 in the first round.
Michael Johnson defeated Alex Caceres by unanimous decision (20–18, 20–18, 20–18) after two rounds.
White and the coaches unanimously agreed on the matches for the semifinals:
Jonathan Brookins vs. Kyle Watson
Michael Johnson vs Nam Phan
Episode 11: Victory's All That Matters
Jonathan Brookins defeated Kyle Watson by unanimous decision (30–27, 30–27, 30–27) after three rounds.
Michael Johnson defeated Nam Phan by split decision (29–28, 28–29, 29–28) after three rounds.
There was controversy over this fight as both St-Pierre and Koscheck argued that his fighter won.
Brookins and Johnson, both of Team GSP, are announced as the season's finalists.
Tournament bracket
Elimination Round
Quarter-Finals
Semi-Finals
Finale
Spencer Paige
2
Nam Phan
UD
Nam Phan
TKO
Cody McKenzie
2
Cody McKenzie
SUB
Marc Stevens
1
Nam Phan
3
Michael Johnson
SD
Alex Caceres
SUB
Jeff Lentz
2
Alex Caceres
2
Michael Johnson
UD
Michael Johnson
SUB
Aaron Wilkinson
3
Michael Johnson
3
Jonathan Brookins
UD
Jonathan Brookins
SUB
Sevak Magakian
1
Jonathan Brookins
SUB
Sako Chivitchian
1
Dane Sayers
2
Sako Chivitchian
UD
Jonathan Brookins
UD
Kyle Watson
3
Kyle Watson
SUB
Andy Main
2
Kyle Watson
SUB
Aaron Wilkinson
1
Aaron Wilkinson
SUB
Marc Stevens
2
Legend
Team GSP
Team Koscheck
UD
Unanimous Decision
SD
Split Decision
SUB
Submission
TKO
Technical Knockout
The Ultimate Fighter 12 Finale
The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale
The poster for The Ultimate Fighter: Team GSP vs. Team Koscheck Finale
This was the first event in the UFC to integrate the featherweight & bantamweight classes from World Extreme Cagefighting, which folded later that month. It was also the first event to feature a then-contracted WEC lightweight fighter (Pablo Garza) in a UFC contest, though he debuted in the UFC at featherweight.
Leonard Garcia was set to fight Tyler Toner at this event, but withdrew from the contest, with Team Quest fighter & IFL veteran, Ian Loveland stepping in as Garcia's replacement.[11] It was later reported that Garcia withdrew to face Nam Phan,[12] after his original opponent Alex Caceres was forced from the bout due to injury.[13]
Nick Pace missed weight for his bantamweight bout against Will Campuzano, missing the 135 mark by three pounds. The fight was changed to a catchweight bout and Pace was fined 20% of his purse.[14]
^Pokrajac had 1 point deducted at the end of round 2 for two knee strikes on a downed opponent. Bonnar had 1 point deducted at the end of round 3 for strikes to the back of the head.
^This bout aired on the broadcast following the Maia vs Grove bout.
The following is the reported payout to the fighters as reported to the Nevada State Athletic Commission. It does not include sponsor money or "locker room" bonuses often given by the UFC and also do not include the UFC's traditional "fight night" bonuses.[16]
Jonathan Brookins: $16,000 ($8,000 win bonus) def. Michael Johnson: $8,000
Stephan Bonnar: $62,000 ($31,000 win bonus) def. Igor Pokrajac: $85,000
